Reviews for the newly released Jurassic World: Rebirth have sparked a split reaction from fans while the movie’s leading star has been described as ‘perfect’.
This latest addition to the iconic franchise that kicked off with Jurassic Park in 1993 is now showing in cinemas.
The original films were inspired by Michael Crichton’s novels, with Crichton himself co-writing the screenplay for the first adaptation alongside David Koepp.
Koepp returns as the scriptwriter for this sequel, with Gareth Edwards taking the directorial reins following his work on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Creator.
In 2015, the series was rebranded as Jurassic World, featuring Chris Pratt in the lead role. Now, fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe star Scarlett Johansson takes centre stage in the new film, joined by Jonathan Bailey, in what is anticipated to be a fresh trilogy.
The plot of the new film revolves around Zora Bennett (Johansson) leading a team of experts to the most perilous location on Earth—an island research facility from the original Jurassic Park, reports the Mirror US.
Their mission? To secure genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA could offer life-saving benefits to humanity. However, as their top-secret expedition grows increasingly dangerous, they stumble upon a chilling, long-concealed secret.
Despite only being officially released today (July 2), the film has received a lukewarm reception from critics and audiences alike. Its current score on Rotten Tomatoes stands at a rather underwhelming 53%.
This positions it as the fourth-highest rated film in the series, following in the footsteps of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and The Lost World, outshining the more recent Jurassic World Dominion, which garnered a lacklustre 29% rating.
However, a divide seems to have formed between fans and critics, with some questioning whether it’s a worthy addition to the franchise. A few have even suggested that it might be time to bring the curtain down on the series.
One fan went as far as to say they’ll be pretending the new release never happened, explaining: “Awful. From start to finish. This is closer to the Alien franchise than to the Jurassic World one. Completely disconnected from the previous ones, weak arguments to try to tie it up in the universe. Characters lack depth, the family makes no sense, humor is cringy. The rebirth part? Doesn’t exist. I was hoping for something great. This movie doesn’t exist for me.”
A critic chimed in, stating: “Overall, Jurassic World Rebirth is an unsuccessful attempt to capitalize on a beloved intellectual property. This franchise, like the dinosaurs themselves, should be allowed to become extinct.”
Another reviewer echoed this sentiment, writing: “Unfortunately, Jurassic World: Rebirth comes out like flat soda, all the ingredients are there, but its just missing a special surprise. They threw everything AND the kitchen sink in.”
Despite the mixed reviews, some fans remain undeterred. One enthusiast took to social media to proclaim: “I don’t care if Jurassic World has a rotten score or whatever I’ll still be seated because dinosaurs.”
One viewer who had already caught the film couldn’t help but share their excitement online: “Do not listen to the score of the critics. This movie is fun and exciting. Is it perfect? Absolutely not, but this movie does a lot right. Strong characters, good, stressful action, and dinosaurs that are actually terrifying. Definitely worth the watch.”
Echoing the sentiment, another fan commented: “Definitely gets back to the basics of what made audiences fall in love with this franchise in the first place. Loads of nods to other movies in the franchise and just generally a lot of action and fun that starts almost immediately and doesn’t let up. Scarlett Johansson is perfection.”
Jurassic World: Rebirth is in cinemas now.